Leg, Arm, Heart
by Tristi Corde
Summary: "Take my arm, lake my leg, take my heart! Anything, you can have it!" A day after That Day, Ed thinks over what he offered Truth for Al's soul. Non-Yaoi, just brotherly love and angst.
1. Intro

" _Take my leg. Take my arm. Take my heart! Anything you can have it! Just give him back. He's my little brother, he's all I've got left!" -Edward Elric_

I had only lost a leg. I didn't really mind that loss too much, as I now understood I deserved it. After turning mom into _that_ I deserved a lot worse. It had been my idea after all. The blood loss and lack of mobility were the only true drawbacks now. They got in my way.

I had to save Alphonse. He didn't deserve to have taken the worst of the rebound. He didn't deserve any of this. It was my idea from the start. I had pressured him into it. I was the one that had dove into this act of stupid wanting without thinking. He wouldn't have suggested this. He wouldn't have had someone do this with him if he had thought it was dangerous, and he would have _never ever_ gone through with it if he had though with it once standing on the circle and weighing the risks. It was me. I did this, not him. This was all my fault and he shouldn't have to pay for it.

I knocked over the armor in the corner and threw off the helmet.

 **xxx**

I'm back with my second story. This one is going to be very short compared to Worst Moments.

Basically, Ed is reflecting on why his arm was taken in trade for Al compared with what else he offered and the symbolic value of each. These are NOT his thoughts during the actual transmutation. He was too hysterical at the time to be thinking too deeply.

Hope you enjoy!


	2. Chapter 1 Leg

_Leg_

I had already lost one, and damn did it hurt! No doubt the pain and blood loss was making me hysteric and dizzy, or maybe my headache came from all the information that had just been dumped into my head. Maybe both. I knew how to save Alphonse because of that stupid Gate but and its information, but that didn't mean I had to like it. Particularly because Truth, oh so conveniently, forgot to mention the price for bonding a soul.

So, I offered my other leg. Didn't expect the gate to take it, though. It already had one. Besides, that leg was the price for the knowledge I had just gained. If the limb was supposed to be symbolic then the information could be just as useful and supporting as the leg I had lost. I had lost the ability to stand and gained something akin to Truth, something solid, to stand on. Al was my support through and constant through my life, but I could live if decided to visit another country without me. I needed him, but not in the same way I needed my leg.

So why offer my other leg when I thought it wouldn't be taken? I guess I was just telling the Gate that no matter the price, I'd pay it. Even if I didn't know what the price was.

 **XXX**

Hello!

So I know it did another intro paragraph, but it fit nicely so it stayed.

Equivalent Exchange. I write, you review.

I'll be back soon(ish)!


	3. Chapter 2 Arm

_Disclaimer: Still don't own FMA. *sigh*_

 _Arm_

Truth, or whatever It was called, was far more likely to take my arm than my leg. As critical legs are for support and mobility, arms and hands are symbolic for action. So it was far more fitting that my arm would be taken for the brother who did everything with me.

Alphonse has always supported me, yes, but more than anything he been working right beside me. Playing the games I played, studying the things I studied, and in general being my shadow; my right-hand man. I could trust him to view things differently and to give his honest opinion on a project or course of action. I could work on one part of an equation, and he could work on the other. It was his idea, more than mine, to find a teacher. And it was Al who checked my work and offered his ideas to my theories. Al might seem like my support, but more than anything he is my right arm. So it made sense that my right arm was taken for my little brother.

 **XXX**

I purposefully made this one shorter because I guessed that it is pretty obvious my Edward's arm was taken for Alphonse. Hope you liked it anyways!

I should be posting something in Worst Moments later, but don't hold me to that. I haven't forgotten, I've just been taking a breather from all the angst. Check it out if you haven't yet.

Hope to see you soon!


	4. Chapter 3 Heart

_Disclaimer: Not mine._

 _Heart_

I honestly believed Truth would take my heart over my arm or leg. The heart is, after all, one of the most important organs for survival. If someone was trying to shoot an enemy, they would aim for the chest. Even some targets at shooting ranges are shaped with the bullseye over that one vital organ. And, most would think, a life for a life is a fair trade.

So, I wasn't really offering a small, pinkish lump of muscle to free my brother from the Gate, I was offering my life. One chance for survival for another. The difference would be that even without performing a soul bonding transmutation, my chances of surviving were small to nothing after losing that first limb. However, in bonding Alphonse to the armor, he could walk away from my mistake without a thought. That was all I really wanted for him, even if it killed me. I thought a life for a life would be an equal exchange. However, the rule is Equivalent Exchange, not Equal Exchange.

 **XXX**

Well, that wait wasn't as long as I thought it was going to be.

I noticed a lot of writers have fics about based on the whole "life for a life" idea, so I thought here was a good place to share my thoughts on that. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy those fics, even if the idea behind it depressing.

It's almost done! Just one more part to post!

Please review, and I might update sooner than later.


	5. Conclusion

_Conclusion_

My arm continued to burn two days after Truth removed it. I had accepted that it was gone and, if it meant losing the small part of Alphonse I had saved, I didn't want it back. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt like a bitch. Yesterday, I had found that if I distracted myself in thought, or had Al talk to me until the painkillers kicked in, I wouldn't feel the burning ache quite so bad. However, right now, Al was helping Granny with something and Winry was off doing whatever girls do, so I was alone.

I had accepted that my arm and leg were gone, but not what I had done the night before last. Slowly I let my thoughts explore certain parts of That Night, like a single image from the Gate, or the way the room looked before everything went wrong. I would analyze it and break it down until my mind became hazy and the nightmares came.

Because when I was alone Al, Winry and Granny can't see me cry, reliving every moment in slow motion.

 **XXX**

All done!

If you enjoyed it, leave a comment!


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